LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND NOTES

ARCHJEOLOGY IN LEICESTERSHIRE 1957-1958

Report from the Department of Antiquities, Leicester Museums

(Year ending 31 March 1958. This report does not include casual finds. wh\ch are recorded in the Annual Report of the Museums. Thanks are due to contnbutors whose names are placed at the end of their contributions, and to Messrs. J. A. Daniell, R. D. Abbott and H. J. Turner.)

BOW ST. LEICESTER

Christ Church has been largely demolished. The church was built of brick in the early Gothic style in 1838 and was designed by William Parsons. It was cruciform and had a central turret supported on an ingenious timber frame. The glass in the eastern lancet was probably original and depicted Our Lord in Majesty. Much time was spent in trying to find a suitable recipient for this interesting example of glasswork, but since the window was over 13 ft. high it was impossible to discover a willing recipient.

Colour and other photos in Leic. Mus. (See Rev. D. T. Wilson. A Sketch of the History of Christchurch, Leicester, 1909).

BURGESS ST. At the junction of Burgess Street and the northern track of the new Ring Road an area of Roman mosaic was discovered when the existing G.P.O . manhole was enlarged. It lay about 4ft. deep and was traced for some 12 ft. to the east. The pavement consisted of large white tesserae, set on the normal two layers of cement. Below this was some 2 ft : of fill before the natural was reached, suggesting a late date for the building.

Plan in Leic. Mus. FRIAR'S CAUSEWAY During November 1957 the Department carried out a small excavation below the cellars of two demolished houses on the S. side of Friars Causeway approximately 30 ft. from the junction with Great Central St. The site lies near the route of the Ring Road and the prime object of the excavation w'as to examine the stratigraphy to confirm the depth at which Roman levels were likely to be found and to discover whether a Roman building had once stood there.

The first cellar proved unrewarding, but indications of Roman occupation were found almost immediately below the floor of the cellar nearer to Great Central St. As excavation proceeded it became apparent that the upper levels contained principally the material disturbed by stone-robbers whose excavations were found running both across and along the trench. At a depth of 7 ft. 8 in. from street level was a pebble and mortar floor occupying the N.W. corner of the trench, and underlying this was a second mortar floor which had at one time supported a mosaic pavement, tesserae from which were found scattered throughout the disturbed levels. This lower floor extended throughout the section except in those places where robber trenches had cut through it. In the S. side of the trench were found the remains of two more mortar floors, much damaged and sloping steeply towards the E. as a result of subsidence. Throughout the trench much building debris, tile, slate, stone, mortar and coloured wall-plaster, was found to overlie the floors. It is obvious that a Roman house stood on the site and that the successive floors represent repairs and replacements during the time of its occupation. Unfortunately in the small area available for excavation it was not possible to extend the work to elucidate anything of its plan.

Below the floors was a 2 ft. deep layer containing dark fill and red clay which had formed a levelled foundation for the lower floor. At the N. side of the trench at a depth of 1 I ft. were the remains of 3 small hearths immediately above the natural sand. These 3 hearths were in a line running W.-E. close to the side of the trench. The W. one contained the larger portion of a 2-handled carinated

77

78 LEICESTERSHIRE ARCHJEOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Fig. 1.

bowl of buff ware dating from the 2nd half of the 1st cent. A.O. and of a type not previously recorded at Leicester (fig. 1). The other 2 hearths contained many sherds of coarse red cooking-pots of native manufacture.

The occupation levels yielded a large number of sherds of vessels of 1st-2nd cent. date and it seems probable that the house was built in the last years of the 1st cent.

Pottery, photographs and sections in Leic. Mus. 354.1957 R. D. ABBOTT

GREAT CENTRAL ST. The clock tower and part of the forecourt of the station have been demolished, The ornamental plaque of glazed tiles with the initials G.C.R. has been preserved by the Dept. of Historical Relics, British Transport Commission.

Photo in Leic. Mus. HARVEY LANE Much controversy has been aroused over the proposal to demolish the cottage formerly occupied by William Carey (1761-1834) when he was minister to Harvey Lane Chapel from 1789 to 1793. Since Carey was only here for four years and his missionary work, for which he is best remembered, occurred at a later date else­where, the Society did not associate itself with the petition to save this rather indifferent building.

87 and 89 HIGHCROSS ST. The history of this site is well documented (C. J. Billson, Medieval Leicester, 45-6) and hence when the attractive but dilapidated houses were pulled down the oppor­tunity was taken to cut a trench in the cellar of no. 87. This particular cellar had been vaulted in brick parallel with the road and the vault, of 3½ in. bricks, had been inserted in front of a retaining wall of 2 in. bricks. After removing the floor the walls were found to be on stone foundations except at the N. end which was solid gravel to about 4 ft. from the surface. A layer of clay in this gravel suggested that it was in fact part natural and part a Roman street. Similar gravel to the same level was observed in commercial workings under no. 85, and this may give the line of the street running southward from the North Gate.

A stone cross wall ran parallel to the S. end of the cellar 2 ft. thick and 3 ft. from it. These walls were all of re-used masonry and impressive in size. However, they were all contemporary, although slightly out of alignment with each other, and 18th-cent. pottery was found at the lowest level. Hence it seems likely that they were the remains of the prison built in 1792 and using material from the old church of St. John.

Finds Samian form 33 by Marti us of Lezoux: MARTI. VS M Mortarium stamp: OSS . . 2nd century A.O.

Finds and plans in Leic. Mus. 380.1957

LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND NOTES 79

uo HIGHCROSS ST. This house stood at the junction with Friar's Causeway on the S. side. A trench was cut in the angle of the cellar and its walls were shown to lie on a stone founda­tion some 2 ft. 6 in. wider than the brickwork on the inside. There was a deep pit half way along the road face at the S. end, which produced a bone pin of Roman type. This pit began to collapse, and as the conditions for work were appalling the excavation was abandoned.

Photos and finds in Leic. Mus. 256.1957 LONDON RD. The block of houses nos. 113-119 has been yet further altered. The buildings are well-known locally for the variety of carved stone heads between windows and doors which show Victorian types. They are thought to be the disguises assumed by Frank ("Tanky") Smith, a former Chief of Police who died in 1888. He certainly owned and probably built this property, but the attributions lack evidence. Nevertheless there seems little reason for permitting the severe destruction which has taken place.

(See Leicester Mail, 9 Oct. 1930, in Ref. Library Scrapbook, Vol. 13, p. 9.)

NEW WALK A nave in 2oth-cent. Gothic has been added to Holy Cross Priory Church.

The block of early 19th cent. houses nos. 88-92 has been modernised by the insertion of additional windows and the improvement of the doorways and the interior. It presents a commendable example of how old buildings can be adapted without destroying their character.

ST. MARTIN'S CATHEDRAL The tombstones in the churchyard have been re-arranged in rows round the perimeter and the gateposts have been rebuilt with the original caps. A selection of those which were thought most interesting was made at the request of the Provost, and the remainder have been transferred to Saffron Hill Cemetery. The two earliest have been fixed in the vestry corridor.

WELFORD RD. The round iron horse trough at the junction of Welford Rd. and Aylestone Rd. has been removed, also the long stone trough at the junction of Welford Rd. and Victoria Park Rd. This latter was erected by the Metropolitan and District Fountain and Cattle Trough Association.

LEICESTERSHIRE

ASHBY FOL VILLE. 707118

Photos in Leic. Mus.

Two marble sarcophagi formerly at Lowther Castle (Westmorland) have been placed at the Manor House. One is that of Gaius Messius, found in 1828 by the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos near the tomb of Crecilia Metella in Rome. His favourite dog was subsequently buried in it in 1837. The other is antique but has a forged inscription.

(See Michaelis, Ancient Marbles in Great Britain, p. 500, no. 108.)

AYLESTONE. 585015 A silver Quinarius of L. Piso Frugi (90-89 B.C.) was found at 125 Vernon Rd. by Mr. W. London.

(See Sydenham, Roman Republican Coinage, no. 672b.)

BREEDON-ON-THE-HILL. 406235 Interim Report 1957 The excavations were confined to a single trench across the bank and ditch on the E. side of the hill and about 100 ft. N. of Miss Kenyon's trenches A and B, cut in 1946. It will be remembered that at the point chosen by her the ditch had been removed by quarrying.

80 LEICESTERSHIRE ARCH£0LOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The bank at this point would seem to be of only one period of construction, although about a foot of dirty rubble had been heaped on the back of it. This, however, had more of the appearance of material obtained from ditch cleaning. rather than an intentional heightening. The front of the bank had been largely cut away in medieval times, the cut having the appearance of a lyncher. However, this did not disturb the lower levels. The front of the bank was revetted by a combination of timber uprights and packed turves. The timbers had been erected in a well-cut palisade trench and the sockets for three posts were clearly defined in the filling. These exactly coincided with the front of the bank. Turf had then been packed around them. The ground was then levelled up (the rock slopes quite sharply to the E. at this point) first with rubble layers, large stones being selected for the front and smaller to the rear. This was then capped with dark brown soil which contained several red sandy streaks, as if it had been scraped up from the original ground surface. On the platform so formed the main rubble core of the bank, derived from the ditch cutting, was heaped. This was retained at the back by timbers, this time inserted in individual post holes, two being found in the 8 ft. width of the trench. Again the sockets which contained the actual posts were clearly defined. It would also appear that turves were pitched over the tail as additional support, but these covered possible ditch cleaning material and were probably not part of the original revetment. As regards the destruction, only the front was affected. Here the timbers must have rotted and the turf bank collapsed into the ditch, to be covered with layers of silting, followed by material dug from the front of the bank to form the lyncher. On the outside of the ditch was a slight counterscarp bank, but no signs of revetting were found here.

On top of the bank, protected from ploughing by the headland of the field, was part of the occupation level relating to the immediate post-construction phase. Some pottery sherds and many bones were recovered at this point. Pottery sherds were also found associated with the pre-bank occupation. An iron arrow-head, as yet unidentified, was found on top of the counterscarp bank. Also found were no less than 4 complete saddle-quems and a number of hammer-stones.

J. S . WACHER

Some interesting sherds of Iron-Age pottery were found by Mr. W. Parker­Sutton, also a farthing of Edward III. It is hoped to publish drawings next year.

Pottery in Leic. Mus. 351.1957

EATON 821302 and 790315

"The old pits I saw as a boy were in field O.S. 19 Sheet VII S.E. 1931 ed. As far as I can remember there were about IO to 12 of the pits . . . 12 ft . deep by 5 ft. wide, circular. All had been burnt but two. I found about one bushel of barley in most of them. The barley was of average size but burnt jet black. I also found several burnt clay bricks, about 40-50 in number (of triangular form each side 6 in. long and a hole through each comer across the angle) as if they were made by a woman's finger . . .

"I also found in field O.S. 11 on the same sheet about 60 yds. from the edge of Stathem Wood a stone coffin in loose slabs of grey stone about 4 ft. 6 in. long by 2 ft . wide with a child or small woman skeleton in sitting postition with two perfect vases of sun-dried clay inside. These vases stood at the head end . .. I did not remove these but I took care of them on the site for as long as I could. I made enquiries some time afterwards and was told by a workman that they reburied them."

(Extracts from a letter by Mr. J. A. Hempshall, describing events c. 1900.)

FRISBY CROSS. 697171

The protracted negotiations for the repair of the Stump Cross have at last reached a satisfactory agreement and the Society is undertaking the task of refixing the upper section of the shaft which was discovered by Mrs. M. Douglas. The County Council will then undertake its future maintenance.

LEICESTERSHIRE AND RUTLAND NOTES 81

GARENDON. 508198 Mr. C. B. Hall, of Garendon Secondary School, Loughborough, suggests that the site of the Abbey lies in a valley in the park ¼ m. east of the Hall. He points out that the wall between the obelisk and the ruined Keeper's House consists largely of dressed stones. One piece found resembled a water-stoup.

(Loughborough Echo, 2 Aug. 1957)

GLEN PARVA. 575995 A Roman bronze brooch (Collingwood Type H) was found on this building site. The finder asserted that labourers there had found a pot containing 25 gold coins but the men had left and it has not been possible to trace them.

While such stories must be treated with caution, it emphasises the need for the immediate reporting of finds which may, after all, receive better remuneration from experts than at the hands of dealers.

Brooch in Leic. Mus. 348.1957

GLOOSTON. 744957 The Frank P. Strongman Antiquarian Research Group of the Market Harborough Archa:ological Society cut a section of the Gartree Road just beyond where the present lane changes direction towards Glooston, in the hope of discovering whether the original course was in a direct line. Cuttings in Paradise Spinney, Cranoe, suggested such might be the case, but tree roots prevented a clear picture.

About 2 ft. below the surface a gravel surface was discovered which sloped towards shallow ditches at the edges, but it did not seem thick enough to have been of Roman origin unless it was only in use for a very short time. It is therefore proposed to cut a section on a site where the track is known.

G. R. LEE

IBSTOCK. 417110 The demolition of the branch railway linking Ibstock Colliery with the Leicester­Burton line has ended an association with the earliest days of the railway in Leicestershire.

The Ibstock pit had been sunk in 1825 and a branch railway was authorised in the Leicester & Swannington Railway Act of 1830, but the Company allowed the powers to lapse and the line was ultimately constructed by arrangement with the landowners and completed in 1832. The colliery owners operated the railway themselves and purchased a locomotive, which they christened Ibstock, from Robert Stephenson's of Newcastle. Later they bought Samson from the Leicester & Swannington.

In its best years the pit produced 1,400 tons of coal per day and 4 locomotives were regularly in use. The colliery was closed in 1928, although the Company continues to make bricks and pipes. It has been found more convenient to transport these products by road, so that the need for a branch railway has ceased to exist. The whistle from one of the locomotives has been mounted and is being retained by the Company,

R. D. ABBOTT

LOUGHBOROUGH. 543218 Eleven coins of the Stanford Hoard have been given to the Public Library by Miss J, Bidder, daughter of the Consulting Engineer of the M.S. & L.R. who obtained them after their discovery during the construction of the viaduct. They are of the later 3rd century. With them was the neck of the ring-necked jug in which they were allegedly found, also a skull.

(Loughborough Monitor, 27 Sept, 1957) The spear referred to in Transactions, xxxii. 94, is of 19th-century origin.

MOUNTSORREL. 582151 In February 1958 the houses known as nos. 2-12 Market Place, adjoining the church, were demolished.

These houses, facing the main roJid, have been a familiar landmark to travellers on the road from Leicester to Loughborough. Nos. 10-12 comprised "the remark­able building in the local granite" illustrated by Dr. W. G. Hoskins in Touring

82 LEICESTERSHIRE ARCHltOLOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Leicestershire, 36. It was of three stories and bore the date 1705 formed by bricks set into the granite wall above the 1st-floor windows. In its time it must have been a house of · importance and appeared to have undergone little structural alteration. In the 19th cent. it was divided into two dwellings. Internally it was quite plain with massive rafters supporting the reed-and-plaster floors of the upper rooms.

It is probably true to say that this was the earliest dated house of granite . in this county. There is a cottage dated 1718 in Main St., Swithland, and some houses in Quom probably of 18th-cent. origin. In Mountsorrel an unlimited supply of granite exists in the hillside a few feet behind the houses. but this did not prevent a local builder erecting a three-storied house of timber filled with wattle. and daub in the early years of the 17th cent. This was known as nos. 6-8. Its. roof was supported by "upper cruck" trusses which rested upon a box-like . frame of massive comer posts. The internal and side walls were constructed of mud and wattle between the stud framework, but the front wall, facing the street, had its framing filled with thin bricks laid in herring-bone pattern, some of which were embedded in the plaster date-tablet of 1617; so it would seem that this brickwork is con­temporary with the completion of the house in that year. Further dating evidence was provided by a beam incised 1612 (the last figure is doubtful and might be a 7) which was a main tie-beam. Hpwever, the house may well have taken 5 years to complete. The · use of bricks· in one wall . only suggests that they were difficult . to obtain, or costly. ·

The importance of this building lies in its being closely dated, the only earlier one being a cottage in Dennis St., Hugglescote, dated 1583. ·

It is unusual to find evidence of external wall-painting in the 17th cent. but the demolition of the house revealed that the wall on the S. side was of mud and wattle plastered over and painted with a crude pattern of coloured chevrons, alternating between the studs with white panels, each containing a Tudor rose painted in black. This wall had been hidden in 1705 when the granite house was built against it. An attempt was made to preserve some specimens, but the mud disintegrated on removal.

The greater part of a late 17th--early 18th-cent. chamber-pot of brown glaze was found in the chimney breast, and with it was a two-pronged fork with a bone handle of 18th-cent. date. Some evidence to suggest that a 17th-cent. wood­carver was working in Mountsorrel was afforded by the discovery of three oak panels of similar style. One was a cupboard door with a central floral panel, carved in relief, and the other two had an incised floral design and had been re-used for the construction of an 18th cent. cupboard door. The massive oak door (39.1932) now at the Newarke Houses Museum was given by the late Mr. Sidney Herbert, who formerly owned this property, and may well have come from it, as the date associated with it is 1617. The remaining two houses nos. 2-4 had been refronted with 18th­cent. brickwork, but their interiors revealed massive timber framing supporting upper crucks, apparently of early 17th-cent. date. They were divided on the ground floor by a timber-framed passageway entering from the street and giving access to the cobbled yard at the rear, which was shared by all the houses previously described. On the opposite side of this yard stood two blocks of 18th-cent. brick cottages of no particular interest.

Mountsorrel is known to have had a remarkable number of hostelries in the. past, and the writer suggests that these 17th-cent. buildings originally formed part of a substantial inn adjoining St. Peter's Church. The large yard and public passage lend support to this theory.

Thanks are due to Mr. G. B. Herbeq, the owner, for allowing objects of interest to be .rescued and to Messrs. Leeson, the contractors, for their kind co­operation. Mr. W. G. Prosser of the National Buildings Record made detailed drawings and Messrs. V. R. Webster and C. Bramley, both members of this Sociecy, also made drawings.

The objects listed are now in the Museum, along with a fine pair of decorative door-hinges. No. 22.1958.

RAGDALE. 662199

The passing of the Old Hall at Ragdale is particularly to be regretted because there are no comparable buildings in this corner of Leicestershire. The following account is written in the present tense, but the Hall was demolished in 1958-59,

PLATE I

By courtesy of National Buildings Record

(a) Ragdale Old H all, r905

(b) Ragdale Old Hall, c. 1925.

84 LEICESTERSHIRE ARCH.1£0LOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

THURNBY. 647038 In response to a message from Mr. Warburton, the Contractor, the site was visited as from 4 June 1957. It is a housing estate about 100-150 yds. due S. of the church on a southern slope. A service road was being bull-dozed E.-W., and it was at the side of this that the first burial was unearthed, at a depth of 12 in. below the surface. Its head lay to the W. A bronze brooch had been found at its foot, and care­fully excavated by Mr. W.arburton and his men. A small rim sherd of Iron-Age (?) pottery and a flint scraper were found in the earth taken from the grave.

Shortly afterwards three further burials were found to the east of no. 1 and apparently orientated similarly. No goods were found with them.

Finds 1. Brooch, bronze type H L.0.033m 2. Finger ring, penannular, bronze, D.0.023m.

Leic. Mus. 318.1957 ·i WIGSTON MAGNA. 609992 . The dedication of the church of St. Wolstan has reverted (with the agreement ·~

.

of the Parochial Church Council at its meeting on 10 September 1957) to the original "St. Wistan"; cf. Transactions, xxix. 37.

F. S . CHENEY

WYMESWOLD. 598238 During the digging of trenches in glacial sand for a new building at Hillside Farm, 4 skeletons were found lying with their feet to the E. The burials were much damaged by the builders, since they were only 2 ft. deep. Three were adults and one a child.

r. (S.) Only the legs survived. It may have had a wooden coffin. 2. The legs were flexed and the hands folded. There was a small burnt area

in the bend of the right leg. An iron knife-blade 5 in. long lay on the right carpus.

3 and 4. (N.) Both largely destroyed.

Little clue was found as to their date, one sherd of Roman pottery was without definite association, and the burials would seem to be Christian.

The work was carried out by the contributor and members of the Loughborough Archreological Society, who wish to thank Mr. R. Mills the owner, Mr. Warner Wooton the contractor, and Mr. W. Davies for their co-operation and interest.

Details and photos in Leic. Mus.

RUTLAND TIXOVER. 439801

F. ARDRON

The site of a Roman villa in the grounds of Tixover Grange, Rutland, was established by Winbolt in 1932. Trial trenching established structural foundations to the N. of the spinney and revealed fragments of mosaic in the N. edge of the spinney. A septic tank was sunk to the S.E. in the 1940s and Roman remains are reported to have been found.

The site was selected for excavation as a training scheme for students of archreology in the University of Leicester and trial work was carried out from 26 March to 3 April 1958 to the S. and S.E. of the spinney. Wall structures of at least 2 periods were revealed, conforming in orientation with those discovered in 1932, but were not exposed extensively enough to establish the exact nature of their plan or function. A feature of the site, by contrast with Great Casterton, is the abundance of tile (including quantities of box-tiles re-used as wall-core material) and the virtual absence of slate. Finds were few and mainly indeterminate, but in general seem to confirm the 1932 thesis of occupation from the late 2nd to the 4th cents.

Excavation will continue annually at the site and a full picture of the building should gradually emerge.

Associated Archaological Societies Reports, v (1859), 106. Rutland Archaological Society Report (1912), 6. Journal of Roman Studies, xxiii (1933), 198.

S. E. THOMAS